BCCI Announces Central Contracts; List Of Players Who Have Been Excluded

Jitesh Sharma and Shardul Thakur missed out [Source: AP]

In a significant development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the list of retained players for the central contracts. While Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer received a much-awaited recall, swashbuckling batter Rishabh Pant was promoted from Grade-B to Grade-A for his consistent returns in Test cricket. 

Which Players Did BCCI Exclude From Central Contracts?

This morning, the BCCI released the list of India's centrally contracted players for the 2024-25 cricketing season. There are five players from the previous year's list who have failed to bag a contract this time. These players are Shardul Thakur, Jitesh Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, KS Bharat and Avesh Khan. 

Veteran Indian spinner R Ashwin announced his retirement from international cricket during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This is the reason why Ashwin hasn't been included in BCCI's central contracts. 

Meanwhile, Shardul Thakur lost his place following inconsistent returns as an all-rounder for the national side. He hasn't played a single international game since representing the side in a Test match in South Africa. 

On the other hand, KS Bharat has formally been replaced by Dhruv Jurel, courtesy of the latter's more prolific performances as a keeper-batter in Tests. Avesh Khan has also been ignored for his prolonged rough patch as a white-ball bowler for the Indian team. 

Bharat played his last Test in February last year, while Avesh featured in a T20I against South Africa for the final time in the blue jersey in November 2024.

List Of Promoted Indian Players In BCCI Central Contracts

Here's the list of Indian players who have been promoted in the BCCI central contracts. 

Rishabh Pant - From Grade B to Grade A

Shreyas Iyer- No Contract to Grade B

Ishan Kishan- No Contract to Grade C

Sarfaraz Khan - No Contract to Grade C

Nitish Kumar Reddy - No Contract to Grade C

Abhishek Sharma- No Contract to Grade C

Akash Deep- No Contract to Grade C

Varun Chakaravarthy - No Contract to Grade C

Harshit Rana- No Contract to Grade C

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